Twenty-two year old Catherine Mugisha is one of the dozens of girls employed by Saachi Manufacturers. She said she had benefited from the skilling opportunities offered by the company through training.

She now sits at the Quality test Center where she ensures that all flat irons at the factory assembled meet standards. “When it is at maximum, when it has heated up properly that’s when you test; it has to be above 8000 C when it’s below that then it cannot be packed.” Said, Catherine Mugisha – Employee, Saachi Manufacturers Uganda.

Pamela Adraku, another worker at the plant said the company had done a lot to empower girls. "Under quality control, the things we test are like; wether the keyboard is working, whether the sensor is okay, then the picture quality of the TV, the sound quality of the TV." Said, Pamela Adraku – Employee, Saachi Manufacturers Uganda.

The plant currently assembles 300 flat irons and about 300 television sets daily with about 35 staff members.

President Yoweri Museveni who visited the Assembling Plant at Ntinda endorsed Saachi Manufacturers Uganda Ltd for its initiative to skill Ugandan youth with expertise in electronics.

“Then, they are going into other things; into refrigerators, gas cookers all that. And they will be cheaper, made in Uganda. Which means that our people get skills.” Said, H.E Yoweri Museveni – President of Uganda. “

…we come into manufacturing, not into tailoring. That’s why that plan came to me that let us also manufacture and we give Ugandans at least good quality and cheaper products.” Said, AnandNainani – Director, Saachi Manufacturers Uganda Ltd.

The president added that the investors had confidence in the economy given the many factories he had commissioned around the country in recent months.

“There is an explosion of factories and the reason is that of what we did with electricity, more factories are coming in, you will hear of more and more.” Said, H.E Yoweri Museveni – President of Uganda.

“And we are giving warranty for 1 year, we are maintaining good quality and at the same time manufacturing in Uganda, we give chance to local people to be employed, get the skills so they can learn all the manufacturing.” Said, Satish Bhaschandani – Proprietor, Saachi Manufacturers Dubai.

Saachi has been importing household electronic appliances for the last 15 years before deciding to begin assembling products this year.

It is yet to be seen how this new method of trade will impact the economy that largely still relies on imports compared to exports.